Dyslexia can have an impact on many aspects of everyday life. There are many misconceptions about dyslexia which is perhaps why some people only discover they are dyslexic in adulthood. Everyone's experience of dyslexia will be individual to them but there are common indicators which suggest you might be dyslexic. A cluster of these indicators alongside abilities in other areas could suggest dyslexia, these indicators include confusing visually similar words such as cat and cot, erratic spelling, having difficulty telling left from right, reading or writing slowly, finding it hard to listen and maintain focus.

Watch this great video created by Made By Dyslexia which is a great overview of dyslexia and the dyslexic brain. It's great for helping dyslexia awareness.

Dyslexia has been recognized in various forms for centuries, but it wasn't until the late 19th century that it was formally identified as a distinct learning disability. In 1887, the German physician Adolf Kussmaul described a condition he called "word blindness" which referred to difficulties in reading despite normal intelligence. The term "dyslexia" itself was coined in the early 20th century, derived from the Greek words "dys," meaning difficult, and "lexis," meaning word.

As research progressed, particularly throughout the 20th century, our understanding of dyslexia evolved, leading to more awareness and better methods of diagnosis and support. However it's only recently that Publishers are starting to catch on to dyslexia-friendly books for adults - and hurrah for that. 

Especially when we consider that in the UK, it’s estimated that about 10% of the population has some degree of dyslexia, with around 4% to 5% experiencing it in a more significant form. This means millions of people may be affected, highlighting the importance of awareness and support for those with dyslexia in education and beyond.

In 2021 Alastair Sims of BOTH Press started publishing dyslexia-friendly books for adults, and they now have more than 21 publications from authors such as Bernard Cornwell, Peter James and Garth Nix. An adovcate for the big publishers to jump on board with dyslexia-friendly titles Sims has been campaigning for publishers to produce 1% of their fiction in dyslexia-friendly formats. 

And Bloomsbury has only gone and done it. The first of the big 5 to take the step: Bloomsbury Dyslexia-Friendly Editions is an initiative presenting some of their best-known adult titles in an accessible format. Using sans-serif font, cream-coloured paper and blue text to increase page/text contrast, they are committing to improving the reader experience of some of their most beloved works of adult fiction.

Starting with a selection of top-selling titles, including Women’s Prize for Fiction winner Piranesi and the multi-million copy bestseller The Kite Runner, they hope to roll this initiative out to more of their much-loved titles in the future.

Scroll below to see a selection of dyslexia-friendly reads for adults. And we've also added a selection of books for teens too which are super readable titles for all ages.

For more information, you can contact:

Made By Dyslexia. a global charity, led by successful dyslexics. They have built the world’s largest community of dyslexic people and their purpose is to help the world to understand, value and support dyslexia.

https://www.madebydyslexia.org/

British Dyslexia Association, the voice of the 10% of the British population who are dyslexic. They are a membership organisation working to achieve a dyslexia-friendly society for all.

https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/

Made In Dyslexia believe in the game-changing power of Dyslexic Thinking. After all, everything from the light bulb to the iPhone, the aeroplane to the motor car, was invented by a dyslexic mind. And the skills of people with Dyslexia are vital in shaping the future too.

@BDAdyslexia

@MadeByDyslexia

#Dyslexia